The present invention relates to small animal control devices, in particular a convertible leash for guard dogs.
There have been various means to control small animals and pets by the use of a hand-held leash. Leashes have been devised in various configurations, either as a single strap attached to a collar around the animals neck or attached by a harness which encircles the animal""s body to prevent escape and relieve the focus of control pressure from the animal""s neck and to completely control the position of the animal""s body and the forces applied to it. A halter-type control device is similar but has a cinch characteristic in which the greater the control pressure applied to the leash the greater the level of discomfort is inflicted to discourage the animal from pulling against the control.
Dogs trained for guard, security, riot or crowd control or search and rescue cannot have their temperament or concentration altered or aggressiveness limited by an leash or harness that would tend to restrict or retard their highly trained attitudes in stressful or tense situations. Narcotics search requires a team effort between dog and handler in all types of environments and the dog must be protected, yet a freedom of motion and agility must not be hindered in any manner. Dogs used for guard duty are selected from rather large animals that can be trained to work with the handler and take commands while possessing a demeanor to frighten and control a suspect. Security and crowd control dogs posses the ability to be threatening and move crowds of people as quickly as possible without injury to people or the animal. These dogs are trained to attack if necessary. The handlers leash or tether is the only attachment used to control the dog. Noise and confusion usually requires greater strength of the handler and the ruggedness and reliability of the leash. One handed control may be necessary. Search and rescue dogs must have the unhampered opportunity to concentrate and detect or smell very small quantity""s of odor. Many of these situations can be in locations that are potentially dangerous to the dog, such as steep banks, pits, crevasses or the fast running water of streams and rivers. A dog can swim more efficiently if the front and rear legs are unhampered by a cumbersome harness. A loosely fitted body strap attached to the collar offers a safe and secure alternative to the harness while allowing complete swimming motion to the dog.
Thus, in the case of watch dogs, guard dogs and search dogs there is a specific need for a leash-type dog control in which the movement of the dog may be controlled without pain or discomfort applied to the body of the dog as the forward force increases, as in the case of a halter-type leash. Thus, a leash with a harness is preferred for police or military guard dogs, however, these can be bulky and difficult to apply as well as requiring different sizes to fit the size of the dog. If an attempt is made to simplify the harness by using a collar only, the collar may be slipped from the dog""s head and control of the dog is lost. Furthermore, there are varying conditions where a harness may be desirable or a simple collar may be desired, however, no prior art device is known which is easily convertible between the two control configurations.
Adequate control of a dog is not only needed in cases of guard dogs or police dogs, but also high-spirited domestic pet dogs can become hyperactive and need more control than a standard collar can provide. Many dogs, in extremely tense situations have developed the ability to slip their collar, and once loose, can subject themselves to uncontrolled danger. The only method of controlling dogs of this type is a choke collar or a harness. The choker chain used by an inexperienced handler can cause injury to the dog. Dogs of very calm temperament can become extremely excited due to situations such as traffic, other dogs, a sudden loud noise, etc. with tragic results. Heretofore a tight-fitting collar has been the only solution, however, it is most uncomfortable for the dog and can cause injury during sudden bursts of abnormal behavior. On the other hand, a normally loose-fitting collar that provides comfort for the dog is an invitation for problems as in the tense situations described above. In these situations a harness is preferred.
The closest patent prior art of which the Applicant is aware is U.S. Pat. No. 5,682,840 issued to McFarland on Nov. 4, 1997. This reference discloses a halter-type harness with cinching loops that encircle each of the dog""s front legs which apply discomfort to the dog the harder it pulls on the leash. The loops are formed by cords which pass through a slip ring which is tethered to the collar a short distance along the dog""s back to a point between its shoulders. A second ring is located at the end of the cinch cords for attachment of a conventional single strand leash. The device shown in this reference is just another means for creating for a halter control which has the disadvantages mentioned above and cannot be used as a control leash.
There is therefore a need in the art for a convenient, effective and economical control leash for guard dogs and search dogs which provides the advantages of a harness-type control configuration without its complexity.
In order to solve the problems in the art described above, the present invention has been devised which is simple, economical and easily convertible between a simple collar control leash or a harness. The device is a single strand leash which has a large, intermediate cinch-ring located a short distance along the leash from the point at which the leash fastens to the dog""s collar. As will be further described herein, by encircling the dog""s body and applying the well-known saddle-hitch-type knot to the free end length of the leash utilizing the cinch-ring, a harness-type control may be quickly and easily created. Furthermore, the knot may be tied while the collar and leash are on the dog so that a correctly sized harness strap looped behind the dog""s mid-section can be created. After tying-off the body loop, the free end of the leash grasped by the handler simply trails from the end of the knot behind the cinch-ring. Because the saddle-hitch-type knot is non-cinching, a harness rather than halter-top-type control is provided with the desirable characteristics as described above.
As an alternate embodiment of the present invention, an adjustable short strap with clip hooks at either end may be added as an optional way of forming the body-encircling loop. This additional length of strapping may also be clipped at both ends to a terminating loop at the end of the main leash to form a convenient loop handle when not employed as the body-encircling loop.
Therefore, the present invention has overcome the various problems of the prior art described above. It is thus the main object of the present invention to provide a harness and leash configurable from a simple, single strand element. It is further the object of the present invention to provide a leash which is convertible between a harness and simple collar configuration. An even further object of the present invention is to provide a simple, economical leash which is configurable into a harness-type control that may easily be adjusted to fit dogs of different size. These and other objects of the present invention will be apparent to those of skill in the art from the following description of the preferred embodiment.